I aim to create objects and images that challenge perceptions and create deeper ways of seeing ourselves and our world.
Photobusts allow you for the first time to feel a persons face with your hands without them being there. The intimacy is so intense, I close my eyes and feel the face of my daughter who is away at college.
For many years my daughter has modeled as I perfected 3D portrait photography.
My 3D portraits capture each subject’s individual story The “prints” are one-of-a-kind wood or 3D printed sculptures that both represent the individual and reflect the unique properties and appearance inherent in the material.
3D portraiture in wood with the accuracy of photography is uncharted territory, requiring me to experiment, build new tool systems, and be my own teacher.
The challenge is to develop new ways of seeing and displaying 3D photography. Viewing these wood portraits is a complex and changing experience. As the day progresses the light in the room and the viewer’s angle make these portraits come alive. Angles and shades shift and deepen. The beauty and imperfections of the individual are reflected anew in the beauty and imperfections of wood tone, shadows and grain. “Seeing” these portraits includes a tactile experience as well and the weight, smoothness, grain and finish of the wood becomes and inherent part of the portrait.
3D photographs can be viewed, edited and distributed in electronic format and can be 3D printed in many materials. Early on, I experimented with printing portraits in plastic. It was very exciting being able to see and touch a physical object created from something captured and edited on computers. But the plastic portrait was not sufficiently pleasing to see or touch and, owing to the nature of material and printing process, each “print” of a specific 3D model would be an identical copy. These limitations led me to pursue natural one-of-a-kind prints in wood.
I’ve spent the past 10 years experimenting with and mastering 3D photo capture and editing systems. I’ve learned about wood species and ways to prepare and preserve materials for use in my sculptural prints. I’ve hand build a custom CNC router system and developed the skills and techniques needed to print 3D portraits in wood.
My current 3D photography is done with my new primary camera, the Artech LEO. While prior technologies tied me to the studio, this state-of-the-art portable camera enables 3D capture anywhere. I can travel to my subjects and reliably work in most situations. 3D portraiture with the level of accuracy needed for my work requires specialized skill and is far from point and shoot. However after experimenting with several systems, I’ve developed a process that substantially lowers the time and effort it takes to capture a good 3D model.